Recent News

More Toys “R” Us stores went up for sale. Here’s what’s moving in Another round of closing Toys R Us shops has been bid on. Successful bidders include Aldi, Big Lots and Ashley Furniture, according to court documents filed Wednesday. The toy retailer, which filed for bankruptcy late last year, had more than 800 locations […]

Birmingham’s next BIG development: District 31 District 31 is a stunning retail project designed to be nothing less than the premier shopping destination in the fastest growing area of Birmingham. Located at the prominent corner of I-65 and US Highway 31 in Alabaster, Alabama, this Power Lifestyle Destination Center will bring together a creative mix […]

A MUCH NEEDED RENAISSANCE Consumer expectations are changing retail real estate for the better. The future success for retailers is now dependent on investments in technology, data analytics, innovations and customer service. As the 30,000-plus ICSC RECon attendees can already attest, retail is not dead, it is in a renaissance. This renaissance is a transition […]

Article: Rodney Barstein on our latest development, The Waites

DIVERSITY, UAB HELP RETAIL, RESTAURANTS EXPAND IN BIRMINGHAM

It wasn’t until the last five to seven years that college graduates started looking at Birmingham as a place to live and work. Cities like Nashville and Atlanta were getting too expensive and too congested. Upon discovering how progressive Birmingham has become with the revitalization of the downtown area, it became the new hot place to live, play and work. So what was once an untapped market has started to grow with new retailers and restaurants to meet the growing demand. The addition of Topgolf to downtown Birmingham, for example, would not have happened without the influx of new multifamily projects in the downtown/southside area.

Birmingham has also seen a growth of new restaurants to the area because of the diversity of population. The number of medical and undergraduates students studying at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) Medical complex has contributed to the diversity. As such, restaurants and retailers that cater to this diversity have begun to open in the area. The Pizitz Food Hall is a prime example as it includes two restaurants and 12 food stalls serving cuisines from all over the world, including Italian, Israeli, Ethiopian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian and traditional Southern soul food like fried chicken and waffles…